The Big Cover-Up

The U.S. has begun a policy of pulling itself out of the emotion-charged battle between Muslim and Western values. President Obama believes that it is essential to quiet a belief that fighting extremists in Muslim nations means kowtowing to American pressure to fight terrorism – Muslims are loathe to think that they are participating in a Christian “crusade”” against their faith. This step has become an essential ingredient in letting the vast moderate majority of Muslims deal with terrorism by making it a local issue.

Despite the continuous if not boring Iranian chants of “Death to America,” there have been subtle changes in anti-Western rhetoric. Ayatollah Khamenei recently focused his wrath on England in his allegations that the post-election street protests in Iran were the result of foreign interference. And it is now France that is taking up the anti-Muslim spotlight as President Nicholas Sarkozy decries Muslim dress in his own nation.

With a population of over 60 million, slightly less than 10% of which are Muslims, France appears to challenge the notion of ethnic and religious differences as tolerable in a nation whose very motto, Liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality and brotherhood), would suggest otherwise. The June 23rd The Washington Post: “‘In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity,’ Sarkozy said to extended applause of the lawmakers gathered where French kings once held court [the palace at Versailles]. ‘The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement - I want to say it solemnly,’ he said. ‘It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic.’”

Because France sees itself as a nation of equality, its statistics on racial and ethnic discrimination, from jobs to housing, tend to be woefully less than the kinds of numbers that the United States has maintained for years in the governance of its racial and ethnic issues. But clearly, the pool of émigrés (and their children) from Muslim Africa – many descended from citizens of former French colonies – has been treated very much as second class citizens. Muslim enclaves (ghettos?) exist in many French cities. In 2005, three weeks of riots in different French cities over various forms of discrimination brought home the point that all is not equal in this nation that prides itself on its motto.

The battle between symbols of Islamic conservatism and Western values is not relegated to France. The same Post article: “In 2003, Sweden's National Agency for Education gave schools the right to ban pupils from wearing burqas if it interferes with the teaching or safety regulations… The Dutch government last year described the burqa and other clothing that covers the face, as ‘undesirable,’ but the ruling coalition stopped short of attempting a ban amid concerns of possible religious discrimination. But the government did say it would work toward banning burqas in schools and among public servants, saying that they stand in the way of good communication.” Germany and Italy too have had “difficulties” with Muslim immigrants who face comparable discrimination in the local job markets – the bad economy has only made the situation worse. Second generation “terrorist” cells – children of immigrants who feel they have nothing to lose – have sprung up all over the European community.

The tensions between the Muslim and Western worlds are very real. While it is gratifying that, for now at least, the United States is no longer as visible in this conflict as it had been during prior administrations, the fact that such frivolous features are the focus of world leaders remains troubling. As Al Qaeda recently announced that they would have no problem using nuclear weapons against the United States, Europe or Israel, more than ever, we need moderate Muslims to have their own local stake in rooting out and destroying such extremists in their midst. More than ever, we need such moderates to turn their heads away from the West as the “true evil” and address the real enemies in their own lands.

I’m Peter Dekom, and I approve this message.